With Portugal bowing out of Euro 2020 and subsequently failing to defend the title, attention has shifted to the top scorer in the tournament, Cristiano Ronaldo. This is a name on everybody’s lips. Kate Richardson (You can view her profile here) will be looking into his future. Is this the end of the road for the top Portugal player? Is this his last Euro Cup tournament? These are questions that everyone is asking; we will try to get some answers for you. If you are looking for UK betting sites and a list of bookmakers in the UK, there are plenty of them where you can bet on matches that Cristiano Ronaldo may be participating in in the future In addition to that, you can also click here for some insights on 2021 NBA draft and keep the important dates so that you do not miss out.
Back to the Cristiano Ronaldo analysis; Ronaldo is not leaving the Euro 2020 with his head down, he is bowing out as a hero. He is the top scorer so far but one question that has been asked is this his last Euro cup appearance? With Portugal failing to defend the title, it means that the team will be leaving the tournament early. Belgium stood in their way as they tried to defend their Euro Championship after qualifying in the last sixteen.
With their oyster, it means Ronaldo will have to put up with the five goals he has scored and hope that no other player surpasses this figure to retain his top scorer title. Although he is not leaving with his head down, the player has been accused of lack of motivation in the last game. Critics are saying that he made no great impact against Belgium.
- To his name, he has 14 Euro Championship goals
- One of the top scorers in the tournament’s history
- He has appeared for the Portugal senior side 109 times, a figure that can only be matched to Ali Daei, the all-time leading scorer in tournament history.
Another Euro Cup?
His current age is 36 and with the next European Championship slotted for 2024, one question that many are asking is will he be there given that he is turning 39 years old? With Ronaldo, anything can happen. It is not easy to rule him out but again age may not be with him and other new talents may have emerged in two years such that his national side may not be comfortable putting him in the lineup.
This was his fifth time to play at the Euro cup with his debut appearance being 2004; he has been around since then with his team taking up the title in 2016. Portugal has also done well in other tournaments where they finished as runner-up in 2004, reached quarter-final and semi-finals in 2008 and 2012 respectively. This means 2016 is their worst performance for the last eighteen years. Will Ronaldo be leaving without proofing to the world that they still have the power and energy to shake the world football. This may be one of the things that in our opinion may make him remain. However, this is just an opinion, he may be having other thoughts and circumstances may have changed come 2024 such that he will not be fielded for the national side.
His reaction to the elimination may be indicating that the player may not be done yet, he may be coming back to prove a point. After greeting just a few players, he headed straight to the dressing room. While others were applauding their fans for their support so far, Ronaldo was not with them. Does this indicate a humiliation or does frustration know that his chance of being the top scorer in the competition was dwindling? It hurts for the defending Champions to be hounded out so early but at least he has some time before his retirement to redeem himself. It is only a few months until the World Cup and he may be focused on this tournament more than he is interested in the Euro Championship. This is the only major trophy that Number 7 is still to win and this may be his focus for now.
New kings in European Championship
One thing we may be certain for now is that with Portugal’s elimination at the knockout stage we will have a new European champion. With the toughest matches yet to be played, it is hard to predict who may carry the day. Cristiano Ronaldo will be keeping his fingers crossed so that no one takes his top-scoring title. If this happens, the player will be consoled, even if his side never managed to proceed further to a point of defending their title; he will not have gone home empty-handed. He will have emerged a winner, being the top scorer in the tournament, proving to the world that he is still in good shape; an indication that he can still return to the tournament in the future and do his magic.
For now, much of his focus should be on the World Cup in 2022, where they will be coming in to prove that they are still a force to reckon with. As to whether he will be playing for his national side, the player is still in good shape, again two years is a short period in the football career. If nothing happens in terms of his health, at 39, he can still play for his team. However, this will be determined by several factors some of which may not be known today while others are hard to predict. For now, Cristiano Ronaldo is the man to beat in top-scoring competition, a title which he is not ready to relinquish any time soon.
